And now I may finally...

post pictures of this sucker. It turned out PERFECT. I was so excited for her to open it (her being my roommate). She's always wanted an ol' school (like, Little House on the Prairie old) nightgown....so...ya. :)  Many thanks to J and K for their help along the way. I DID take a picture of the grin that spread across her face as she opened it, but I respect her too much to put that pic on here. Ha!  Enjoy. 

Oh ya, I had to sew it in secret, so I totally sewed it IN MY OFFICE after finals last week until all hours of the night. Let's just say, my EFY peeps think I'm nuts. Awesome. Right on track...

In honor of the (disappearing) white on the ground...

Let us journey back to this GEM...go on, click on it.

Because I'm me...

(IF you missed the fantastic photos in the last post, a quick scroll-down is a must...)

So, I lived through only my SECOND beastly 7 AM final in nigh unto 15 years of college today. Ugh. I don't DO 7AM finals. I don't do 7AM CLASSES, for cryin out loud. I just had to document that I survived it. My WORD that one hurt. My brain truly feels like a flimsy little Scotch-Brite sponge that's just survived it's first (and last) encounter with a vice!  Oh man. It actually took me all three hours. I mean all three. I turned it all in with 2 minutes to spare.

It was my final for a class they call Microcomputer Materials Production. Let's dispense with the bull...I have NO programming background at all, but never you worry: I WROTE AN APP THIS SEMESTER. So, I knew the final was going to be the death of me. With that much work required for the class AND a final to boot, I knew it'd be a doozy. And, it was. I kinda breezed through the first written half, which scared the bejeebers out of me. I didn't even know bejeebers were awake at 7AM. And I REALLY felt like I was relying on the ol' BSing purge technique I've been honing for all these years during test time....I was sure I'd forgotten something.

I slaved over the second half of it for quite some time, and I got it to do everything they asked for except the last (and most important) thing. I tried and tried, and finally gave up and went back to my teacher, "Ok, I have tried everything I know how to code. If you'd like to come up here and SEE if you can give me a hint, great. If you can't, that's totally fine. I give."  So, he obliged and came to my computer, looked it over and then tried to ask me 4 or 5 questions that were supposed to clue in my obliterated-goo-for-a-brain to the problem. I finally said, "I'm not sure I care that much."  He looked right at me and said, "It's so easy, you'll kick yourself when you figure it out." I stared at in one more time...

A comma. I was missing a freakin' comma. BOO! BUT, at least I found it. He was right, I wanted to kick it, but since I'm still wearing layers of prescribed foot-gear from the podiatrist, I decided against it. Instead, I frantically went through my code making sure it really did work, and not believing my eyes when it did.

I lived!!

(No, its not me. It's some lovely person on the web.)

Oh...and...I aced it. ;)  Heck ya.

Is anybody else...

Kinda shocked that it's freakin already December? I mean, I know it is, and Student Karen is SOOO grateful for it and really looking forward to next Tuesday when she's really done with this semester. (I have a Monday morning 7am final this time!!! What in the?! I haven't had a 7am final since 19-freakin-99!!! Not a happy camper...)

But seriously, wasn't it just the 4th of July, like a month ago?  Where does the time go?!  Wow. Just had to say that.

Alright. Bring it on, Santa.

......
Oh, AND, is this NOT the cutest little picture, ever?!?  (Sorry about the poaching, L, but I HAD to...)

And THIS?!  Oh man...be still my unused womb! Ha! ;)  J/K, but I must say I DO love these munchkins SOOO much...

(Sorry if the organ referral made you uncomfy...)

"So...good news...I saw a dog today."  Hahahahahah.

Is it a good sign (professionally) if...

...the dean personally offers you his basketball tickets?  AND brings them down to your office himself??  What a crazy day...but I'll TAKE it!

Huh. 'Tis a somewhat rare occasion to feel outwardly appreciated at the workplace.  New feeling...huh.

When life throws a curve...

Once upon a time I HONESTLY considered dropping out of college and just starting a floral business. I really did. However, HF has made it perfectly clear that school is the curve I have to follow. That said, my class threw me another curve of just tasting a smidge of the other road this last week. We were assigned to come up with a logo....for anything. Honestly, this is what came from a lot of random clicking, and then it suddenly formed:

Guess if I ever do it, this might come in handy.  For now, I've got Blossom Sweet to more than feed my gorgeous floral creativity craving. Bah, she's a genius!

My new favorite show...

Yes. I have one. Is it anything like SYTYCD or Glee? Nope. It's quite the opposite actually. And I LOVE it. So much so that I watch episodes online whenever I get the chance. Seriously. I recommend it to anyone. Doesn't matter how bad my day is...this show makes it all seem better. Every single time.

Go ahead. Click on it. You know you want to. :)

My recommendations:  Surfers Healing, Farm Rescue, Free Wheelchair Mission, EagleEyes, South Shore Drill Team, Whitney Elementary....ok, I love them all.

When the world goes RIGHT...

This. Is. Awesome.



Presented to the young women in this stake at Young Women in Excellence. SOOO awesome.

Sign of the times...

A sure-fire sign that it's "that" time of a semester...

At approximately 1:03pm, you nonchalantly glance down at your shirt and come to the screeching halt of a realization that:

Your shirt is on backward. 

With no recollection of a spontaneous shirt-direction-swapping in the recent past, understanding dawns...it's been that way since you got dressed this morning.

Awesome sauce. Oh ya. Just me, bein me...

Hahahaha. Just in case...

Sometimes you just need this kind of thing. Click the button at the bottom, there's some serious comedy in there...

Calming Manatee

Dear child of God...

"Be patient and know that I am God. I love you. I have always loved you, and I will always love you. I have a plan. Reach out and hold my hand. Keep trying and believing in Me. I will lead you along. This, too, shall pass..."

 Amen.

Many thanks to my stalwart friend, Cassie, for her undeniably inspired RS lesson today.

Stupid Karen of the day...

(Don't ever ask for something to blog about. Just don't....)

Uh....this one's for the books...

So, yesterday and today, one particular department has been giving me fits. Is that important? Kinda. So, I've been trying to reach their secretary repeatedly. Now, I usually pride myself on remembering numbers, but sometimes--when I'm particularly tired--I sometimes get them a little mixed up...

This particular secretary's number is x3163. For some reason I ALWAYS mess it up just a bit, but always in the same stupid order. It rings the wrong person (caller ID), and I hang up like a moronic 13 year-old prank caller. (for the record, this only happened twice....in the last 24 hours...)

Well, today the other person called me back:

"Hi, Karen? This is DAVE ROSE. I've noticed you've called me twice recently and I've missed it. Can I help you?"  #*(&$(@#*$&(*#$&(*#$&!!!!!!!!!! 

Did I know before now it was him? Yes. But I was praying that there was somehow another professor by the same name....not the legendary Division 1 coach...  Bless his busy little basketball heart!!!  He was so kind, though he did laugh at me. Called-for. I know. I stammered, "Oh dear. I'm sorry, Dave...but the numbers in your extension are really close to a....blah blah blah...I guess its good that I'm not wasting your time during basketball season, though eh?"  He very graciously said it was ok and then, "Ok, then, the next time you call I'll just know that you're looking for a secretary again, ok?"  "DEAL. If I ever really need you, I'll leave a message."  More laughing...and then the self-propelled humiliation finally ended.

Oi yoi yoi. Yup, at last measure, I'm about 1" tall right now. Oh sheesh. AND, I have little-to-no faith in my number recall ability. THAT has been safely reset to zero...

Oh, the life of Karen....

When the 17 year old boy is allowed...

to do the design on my toes...that's right. FREEHANDED.  Whoa.

GREAT pedi, btw. If you're in town and in the market, let me know. I'll show you the goods. :)

WOOOWWW, time flies. For some reason I find it terribly difficult to post in the Summer. Not sure why....

ANYWHO, check it:

Yup, this is what I'm driving now. I know, out of the blue isn't it? Me too. But it's good, and I'm happy. They say this is a "driver's car"....uh, "they" are very right. :)  Is this my actual car? No. Am I too lazy to take a picture of my actual car? Yup. I'm not so much a fan of the white, but my car has (legally) tinted windows, which makes it much more awesome. Thoroughly enjoying it.

In other news, here's the latest most awesome thing ever:

That's right. :)  Awwww...I just love these kids. So much.

Words not required...

HAHAAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAAAAAA! whew.

Unwarranted barrelling...

No, not of the rodeo variety. No, no. That'd be too simple. Instead: that of the heaving, panting, charging upstairs two-at-a-time nature.  Even at this moment, I'm still not sure why I did it. I wasn't in that big of a hurry. And, I know it comes as a shock, but I'm not usually one to succumb to spontaneous feats of self-challenged athleticism (ie. climbing stairs quickly ;) ). AND, in the ASB of all places!?  So, there I was, high-tailing it upwards, carefully focused on not letting my ballet-slipper flats become my demise on the slicker-than-snot, worn-down stone staircase...

And.....BOOF!!!  Uuhhh.................whuuudupp, Cec?!  Or... I mean... "Hi, President Samuelson."

Nice...no, I didn't actually crash head-long into him. (whew.) But for the stammering, gasping mess that I was, I may as well have. He responded with a slightly startled, albeit jovial look that said, "Well, hello there!" and then went on his merry way. Such a lovely little GA....

Pretty sure he might have a hitch in his git-along...but who am I to judge? Me, the moron who randomly races herself up the stairs of the administration building...

Newly Rediscovered Gem...get ready...

Words fail....(but them piggy-tails and my gut-splitting laughter sure don't!)

Oooohhhh ya!!! You said, "Awwwwww," I know you did. I heard it...all the way over here...

Good gracious...talent....

I know, if you watched the Sing Off and you listen to my kind of music, you'll like this that much more, but HOLY cow. I love these guys. I will buy their CD when it comes out.

How was your weekend? (pic overload)

Amongst the shopping, the vegging, and great food and amazing friends...

On the way up...here we go.

Seriously? That far??  Ok... (it was really quite easy, actually)

Half way up, this isn't too bad. In fact, the view is awesome.

Oh ya. I'm standing in the MIDDLE of the falls here...way up the mountain. AWESOME.

"Cool Mist" my azzz....maybe in July...

It was fantastic. Yup. The whole way. Check the rainbow!!

Please don't fall...yipes!

Must have more weekends like this one....must...

Maybe I need an iPhone...Siri rocks